Won't Fire Up
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: Hamilton Ontario
Won't Fire Up
Ok, been racking my brains. Drove my vette the other night, parked the car like usual, have not touched it in a week. Went to start the car, turns over great, but will not fire up. Here is what I've done so far, changed the plugs - All new, properly gapped, new HEI dist. and rotor but still old coil. The coil was my next thought. Anyone have any other thoughts on why the car won't start? Very mysterious.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: Hamilton Ontario
no, at first I figured it can be 8 faulty plugs all at once, so when I changed the HEI it would only turn over, not fire up. The HEI is new, never been run. but has old coil in it.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 11,520
Likes: 13
From: CORVETTE 77 385 C.I. TEXAS
So are you saying it had a problem before the HEI was put in?
Look into carb for accel. pump shot of gas & move throttle.
Check that you have the power wire to the HEI. Normally the module is the problem.
I bought a "new in the box" HEI, checked it out before install & found the pickup coil "bad". I disassembled including the pickup coil & found a lead was not soldered to a pickup coil wire. Soldered to fix.
Check spark- on an electronic ig. car w/ bad coil, it had a very, very weak spark.
Look into carb for accel. pump shot of gas & move throttle.
Check that you have the power wire to the HEI. Normally the module is the problem.
I bought a "new in the box" HEI, checked it out before install & found the pickup coil "bad". I disassembled including the pickup coil & found a lead was not soldered to a pickup coil wire. Soldered to fix.
Check spark- on an electronic ig. car w/ bad coil, it had a very, very weak spark.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
From: Hamilton Ontario
everything was working fine on the car, started fine, drove great all original (well not original, but at this point no new parts were added because there was no problem) so I get home, shut it down and the car sits for a week (approx). I go to start the car, turns over, lots of fuel smell in the air, but will not fire up. So I needed to change plus anyway so I did that, I also at the same time changed out the distributor cap and rotor thinking it may be the Distributor being fouled or corroded. Tried to start again, nothing - just turns over. So my thinking was, 8 plugs can be buggered all at once, the cap is new, what else? My thinking was coil, but now from what I have been reading, it seems the ignition module are notorious for dying without warning. So i will give that a try before I swap out the coil. Just waiting now for some dry weather to do the change out. These modules, are they really that ******? Wonder why, excessive heat? Temperature cycles? Vibration? hmmmmm.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 683
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